Photo radar ticket sent to the wrong car owner

Boulder Camera ^ | 3 Dec 01 | Peter Sandberg

[Darth Sidious]

Thanks for the bump :-)

I'm considering a "phase 2" to the protest: purposely driving through a camera-infested intersection, make darn sure it takes my photo going through it. Then demand my day in court and for all witnesses to come forth against me, per my Constitutional right.

Ever wonder what a 100-lb camera looks like walking into a courtroom? Let's find out... ;-)

[nicollo]

We're at War. It's for the Children. Driving is a Privilege. If you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear. Where there's smoke there's fire. The county can use the money.

... and hope that smile behind the wheel of your (out-of-state) car matches that of your national I.D. card... or your DNA.

[Mulder]

“There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. When there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt.” -- Ayn Rand

[real saxophonist]

They'll have to drive the whole van, or pull the whole trailer in...

BTW, sincere congrats on your engagement. Y'all are truly blessed...

[Darth Sidious]

BTW, sincere congrats on your engagement. Y'all are truly blessed...

And the good news is, I've got six whole months left before I have to really start using the clothes hamper. :-)

Thanks bro.

[ODDITHER]

I was in a neighboring city in Colorado. I got one of those photo radar tickets. The whole photo radar system is a scam. They are not moving violations, in which they can take your driver's license or points from your driver's licenses. They are regarded the same as parking violations. In fact, the only meat in the ordinance at all, has to do with sending the unpaid violations to a credit agency so that if you do not pay them you will have bad credit.

I didn't get the ticket until one month later. Try to remember where you were and what you were doing a month ago. They did not send any picture with it, just an explanation of where to view the picture. "Between the hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 pm Mondays-Fridays. If you feel you should not have received the ticket after viewing the picture, you have to make an appointment with the City attorney or take it to court. Well that was two days off work to find out if I owed the money or not. They did give a location "in the 200 block of College avenue".

I went by the location and realized that just in front of the van the speed limit increases 10 miles per hour. I had always been taught that you begin increasing or decreasing your speed when you see the sign, so that when you pass the sign you are at the correct speed. A point some little camera in an unmarked van doesn't take into consideration.

At any rate, because of my business schedule, I didn't have time to persue it before leaving town. I had not made up my mind whether or not to take the two days off to fight the ticket. When I got back a second notice was waiting for me. This time it stated that if I didn't pay it I would be issued a summons to appear at court. I was again leaving town for business and decided to wait until I got back. I decided that I should at least have been given as much time as they took to first send the ticket.

When I was called out of town again, I thought "screw it", I just pay the 40 dollars and be done with it. Next time (if there is a next time) I will fight the darn thing.

When I got back to town, a letter was waiting for me. Inside was my check, and a letter stating that they did not have the authority to summon me because I did not live inside the city limits and their officers couldn't issue summons outside of the city limits. Therefore, since I had not paid the ticket within the 45 days, they could not pursue it.

In other words, this is a revenue generating thing for the cities that use it. After all, if they were really interested in the safety of the citizens they wouldn't wait 30 days to stop someone from speeding or running a red light.

[Looking4Truth]

This would be an excellent chance to track the race of the offenders. The camera does not carry any racial bias and it would be informative to track this data. Then compare it to the racial stats the police keep and see if there is "racial profiling".

There have been many nominations in FReeperland for 'Quote of the Day', I believe you have qualified for 'Idea of the Day'.

Excellent!!! (In my worst Mr. Burns impression.)

[backhoe]

The Eye in the Sky... looking at *You* - thread II

[RandallFlagg]

Living in Denver, I avoid anything to do with Boulder at all costs. Anyplace that can ticket you for walking on a sidewalk and smoking a cigarette is a menace to me.
That said, did you know that the newest thing is for the lights to be rigged to encourage folks to run red lights? They installed cameras at an intersection I used on my way to work. Before, when you pulled up to a red light, the pressure sensor would activate and you'd get a green. NOW, you can sit there staring at a pointless red light at three in the morning for 3 minutes with no cars for miles wishing you had a .22 rifle to kill the cameras. When it finally does change, it gives you only 4 seconds to get through the intersection. If there's 4 or more cars there waiting with you, the 4th guy NEVER makes it through. If he tries, he's nailed by the cameras.